A Bunch of Random Naruto Fanfics I Began but Never Completed!
by Focalor Farrar
Summary: I think the title sums it all up. Well, I'll go into a little detail... These are a bunch of first chapter drafts I've written for various ideas I had concerning Naruto. Most of them are up for grabs, so just ask if you like any of them. I kinda explain what had been going through my head for each story in an Author's Note, so don't miss those if you want to understand what's up.
1. I Like The Dark

**A/N: I planned for this to be an odd little story in which Madara's "will" would be implanted into Naruto along with Kurama just after his birth. In short, Naruto would begin to lose his mind as the emergence of "another him" began to dominate his body and cause freak changes to occur in him (the activation of a Sharingan, darkening hair and such), Akatsuki would behave very differently in their efforts to capture all ten beasts, and many canonical happenings would not occur as shit began to continuously hit a series of fans. Just for fun, the other Naruto (Madara in reality) would have been dubbed Menma. This story was the proto-In the Dark of the Night, and I began writing it way before Obito was revealed to still be alive.**

**It may not be very evident, but Sasuke is intended to be less of an asshat, and Sakura is somewhat more interested in being a decent ninja (only because she realizes that's what Sasuke wants in a girl). The chapter ends abruptly because I'm too much of a lazy fucker to give it a proper ending. :p**

**Anyway, I doubt I'll finish it. If someone likes the idea and is a decent writer, contact me and you can continue it. **

* * *

_There's something inside you  
It's hard to explain_

_They're talking about you, boy  
But you're still the same_

Naruto awoke feeling incredibly fatigued. As he opened his eyes, they were accosted by harsh rays of sunlight. A dull, pulsating pain bloomed within his left eye, and it persisted even as he closed his eyelids. Reflexively, Naruto attempted to bring his hands to his face to further defend his eyes from the invasive sun, but he found that he could not. The revelation of his immobility caused his fatigue to retreat and alarm to overtake him. Now fully awake, Naruto perceived that his arms and legs were, in fact, strapped to the railings of his bed. He was in the hospital, confined to a small room suitable for three standing occupants at most.

"What the hell," Naruto muttered. He struggled against his bonds, but prevailing against such thick leather proved to be quite a difficult task to accomplish. Naruto howled in frustration. He shook his bed back and forth as he exclaimed, "Hey! Hey, somebody get the fuck in here and tell me why I'm strapped down like this!" He silenced himself upon hearing some shuffling from the other side of his room's door. Unintelligible words permeated the metal. Moments later, it slid open just a sliver; an eye peeked through the tiny crevice to observe his prone form. He stared back.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

The door slammed shut. The shuffling of feet began again but more vigorously and traveling away from Naruto's room. Naruto continued to scream his head off as the sounds outside his room gradually lessened until only his own voice filled his auditory senses. He quit his noise-making after one final wail for assistance.

Naruto laid his head back against his pillow, still struggling against his bonds. He now felt an insurmountable amount of restlessness. "What the hell is going on," he mused. Naruto stopped his struggles as the chafing of the leather against his skin became impossible to ignore. Naruto's eyes lingered to his bandaged hands, and he spotted a little blood on his palms. He wondered about the injuries on his hands; how did he get them? He sighed. "How did I end up here?"

_Mizuki._

The previous day and night came back to him in an instant. He failed the _Genin_ examination a third time yesterday. Then came Mizuki's offer of a re-test almost immediately after. He stole the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's residence - he winced - and had taken it to a little shack deep within the surrounding forest. He studied the scroll as told and successfully learned one of the many techniques within it, and, soon after, Iruka arrived. And so did Mizuki.

"Oh, shit... He told me about the fox." Naruto's head made barely a sound as it fell onto his pillow. "He told me about the fox and..."

_And what happened next?_

The last bits of his memory escaped Naruto. However, hazy images of a scuffle between Mizuki and Iruka discerned themselves from the rest. He could recall no more.

"What happened last night?" Naruto's inquiry went unanswered, obviously, he being the only occupant of the room.

Several hours passed, all through which Naruto tried to free himself from his restraints, cursed the person or persons involved in strapping him down, and simply sulked on the matter of his confinement. His latest attempt at liberation - which involved trying to flip his bed and crawl out the room on his fingertips - was halted as the door opened.

This ninja in his room looked rather amused, Naruto thinks as the man gently closes the door behind him. The one-eyed spectator did little more than stand and observe Naruto. The silence in the room quickly grew to a head and so the new occupant decided to speak.

He smiled, but the expression was largely unseen because of the mask he wore; his right eye crinkled. "Did you sleep well?"

Naruto wasted no time in tossing a slew of curses Kakashi's way. He cursed the man and his silly haircut, now thoroughly pissed by how casually Kakashi had entered the room and asked such a ridiculous question. "Does it look like I slept well? I'm tied to a damn bed for God's sake! Get me the hell out of this shit already!"

The man stood his ground quite effectively and ignored the terrible things that spewed forth from Naruto's mouth. The lack of response only seemed to further enrage the boy for his shouts and screams increased in volume and vulgarity. It soon became evident that his visitor would not speak until Naruto quieted himself. He chose to bite his tongue upon this realization.

"Well," the ninja took this time to further encroach upon Naruto's territory, "I understand how you feel. It's never nice to sleep on these hospital beds. They're so uncomfortable." Naruto was prepared to unleash another onslaught of curses upon hearing the silly remark, but he was cut off very quickly as the man laughed, saying "Sorry" as he did so.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Konoha _jonin_ Hatake Kakashi."

Naruto could tell that this man was allowing him to speak now, and he begrudgingly did so. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto."

Kakashi's smile vanished. "I know who you are." The same dull look which adorned his face upon entering the room reclaimed its place. "The Hokage has sent me here to ask you a few questions about the situation involving the Scroll of Seals, in which the former academy instructor Mizuki conspired to steal this village treasure."

Naruto's response was a simple note of confusion. "Eh?" he said. "So why didn't the old man come ask me himself?"

"He's unable to be here right now because of some pressing issues stemming from your actions last night. He's sent me in his place."

Naruto accepted Kakashi's answer. He supposed that stealing the scroll would leave the old man with more than a few papers to review. He will need to seriously apologize to the old man later. Submitting to this mild interrogation would be a good enough start. Naruto told Kakashi to proceed, and he did exactly that.

"Tell me the last thing you can remember." He pulled a small notepad from a pocket on his flack jacket, a pencil along with it.

An easy enough thing to do. "Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei started to fight. That's the last thing I can remember."

Kakashi quickly made note of Naruto's answer. He looked up, clearly expecting more. Naruto's reply was negative. "That's the last thing I can think of," he said. Kakashi shrugged.

"Now, Naruto, I want you to give me some details about the events leading up to this moment." He just finished writing. "Start at the point where the first person other than yourself arrives. Tell me how you felt at each moment as well."

Naruto nodded, murmured his consent. He began with Iruka's arrival, relating how surprised he had been when he found out that Mizuki had lied to him.

Kakashi's looming eye appeared unmoved. "And?"

Naruto grimaced. He could pick out fragments of the events following the big disclosure of last night, but only a few. "Mizuki-sensei attacked me and Iruka-sensei. I ran. Iruka-sensei tried to help me get away by using _henge_ to look like me. I was close by when Mizuki-sensei caught up to Iruka-sensei." He needed a minute to calm himself. The thought that Iruka had been fighting for him was a surprising one. "They started arguing. Iruka-sensei said that Mizuki-sensei was wrong about me. I was really happy then... Then they started to fight," Naruto shook his head. The realization that nothing else would be recalled came to him quickly enough. "I have no idea what happened next."

Kakashi remained silent moments after Naruto's final words. He stood, appraising the boy below him with a keen eye. The intense yet vacant look that fell upon him further distressed Naruto. He began to squirm in his bed, again.

"Thank you for sharing that information with me, Naruto." Kakashi sighed. His head drooped. "I suppose it's only fair that you're allowed to ask me a question or two."

Agitation got to him. Naruto shouted, "Why the hell am I strapped down like this?"

Kakashi returned his notepad and pencil to the jacket pocket it came from. He now regarded Naruto with a less formal disposition. "Because of your behavior yesterday, the Hokage thought it best to restrain you for the time being."

"Oh, come on!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "All I did was knock him out with my _Orioke no jutsu_."

"And you stole the Scroll of Seals."

"And I stole the Scroll of Seals," Naruto blabbed a little louder, clearly mocking Kakashi. "Big deal."

"It was a big deal, actually, but the situation has more or less been resolved." Kakashi strayed from Naruto's bedside. He stood near the room's single window and watched the cloud cover above pass before the face of the Sun, already more than halfway obstructed by the Earth. "Mizuki is dead, just so you know. However, Umino is doing fine; his injuries weren't very serious."

Naruto continued to struggle in his bed. The uneasiness he felt came more as a response to the news of Mizuki's death. He felt strangely guilty, as if he was at fault for his former teacher's death.

_It's his fault that he died. He would have probably stolen the scroll without me anyways,_ Naruto thought. _The old man was right to execute him._ He nodded; the action prompted Kakashi to raise his eyebrow.

"Hm?" Kakashi hummed.

"N-Nothing! Um, when am I getting out of these things?"

"The Hokage will decide when you will be released. I have nothing more to say on that matter." Kakashi remained stationary, only redirecting his attention back to the view outside of the window. "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

The thought of whether or not he would be punished by the Hokage came forth quickly, but Naruto dismissed it immediately. He figured that this Kakashi would not volunteer such information let alone know what the Hokage's intentions are. "No," Naruto said.

"Alright then." Kakashi redirected his attention to Naruto, only momentarily regarding the boy before heading toward the door. His gait was deliberately slow. "I'll be reporting to Hokage-sama now. He should be here soon - perhaps in the next hour if he's finished whatever business he has before I arrive." He stopped at the door, just lightly tugging it open. "See ya' later, Naruto."

Naruto's pleas for the ninja to remain with him were ignored. The viciousness of the room's silence once again reasserted itself. Naruto laid his head against his pillow and prepared himself for a potentially long wait for the Hokage's arrival. Thankfully, he fell asleep only twenty-three minutes later. When the Hokage did arrive, he decided to have his talk with Naruto in the morning.

* * *

Naruto awoke without a single hint of sunlight in his room, not a speck of light in his eyes. The darkness soothed him. He thought it strange, how he felt so calm. _'Don't I hate the dark?'_ he thought. The deprivation of his senses always set him on edge; he always had at least one light on in his apartment, visible from his bed.

_'Weird.'_

The lights in his room were on in an instant. Naruto shut his eyes quickly, cursing as he dealt with the onslaught of a small headache. His eye hurt like hell. He could hear laughter. "Who the hell is there?"

"It's only me, Naruto." Sarutobi Hiruzen walked over to Naruto's bedside. He towered over the boy with indication of a small on his face. "No need to get so worked up."

"Ah, old man!" Astonishment shown perfectly on Naruto's face. He had not been expecting the Hokage to appear so suddenly. He would have jolted out of bed had the restraints not been in place.

Hiruzen laughed. Naruto grinned. He always loved the sound of the old man's husky chuckle.

"You seem to be doing quite fine, Naruto. These straps haven't made you too uncomfortable, have they?"

"Nah." Naruto shook his head vigorously. "They chafe a little, but it's not that bad - hey! Why _am_ I strapped down?"

Hiruzen's laughing resumed, much to Naruto's chagrin. "Don't think too much of it, Naruto. You have to understand, when old men like myself are defeated by a person as young as your we feel just a tiny bit self-conscious."

Naruto gaped at Sarutobi. He really had not been expecting such an answer. Naruto shut his mouth and smiled cheekily at the old Kage. _Well, I guess I did deserve it. I mean, things really could have been worse than this._

Naruto scowled in a fashion akin to a pouty toddler, but his expression then turned somber. "Sorry for everything that happened last night, old man. I know that I already cause you a lot of trouble, and that this time is even worse than all the others combined. I deserve whatever punishment you give me." Naruto closed his eyes. He could not bear to look at the Hokage. "I'm sorry for being such a bad kid."

"Naruto," Hiruzen expressed his sentiment through only the usage of the boy's name. He placed a grizzled palm atop Naruto's head and ruffled his hair. "I'm afraid that you won't be receiving any punishment this time."

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "What?" he said.

"By stealing the Scroll of Seals from my home, you helped to weed out a traitor of our village. In my opinion, this act of valor supersedes any of your previous offenses and shortcomings." Hiruzen removed his hand from Naruto's body. He smiled warmly at the boy below him. "So much so that I've decided to overlook your previous three failures of the Genin Exam."

Naruto was slack-jawed by this point. His mouth was dry and he was so unsure of what he had just heard. _Does he mean..._

"I'm a," his mouth was unbearably dry now. The Hokage was quick to procure a cup of water. Naruto gulped it down, anticipation made him shiver. "I'm a ninja?"

Hiruzen only smiled. That question required no verbal response.

"Yeah! I'm a ninja!" Naruto outburst was as loud as Hiruzen had expected it to be. The boy expressed his his jovial mood in good measure before ultimately quieting himself, still with a dopey grin on his face.

Naruto was far too absorbed in his ninja fantasies to catch the apprehension in the Hokage's eyes, the way his hand fidgeted about as he sought a more comfortable standing position. "Naruto," he ventured. The boy seemed to not have heard him, so Hiruzen retracted his voice and chose not to speak about whatever he had been planning to discuss. Instead he decided to just stand there, a sad smile on his face, staring woefully at the laughing young boy.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to his office a dilapidated mess. His head was abuzz with conflicting emotions, and he could already anticipate the displeasure his two advisers would undoubtedly emote upon discovery of his decision to allow Naruto into the village's military ranks. It was a rash decision on his part, he knew, but he felt that Naruto, especially at such a crucial moment in his life, needed something positive to come out of it. Maybe Koharu and Homura could not comprehend that, but he could.

As he approached his desk, Hiruzen sighed. He removed his hat and placed atop his desk and took his seat, reclining steadily and stretching his old bones. His eyes opened, an inaudible sigh escaped him, and he said, "Danzo."

The bandaged veteran Shimura Danzo harrumphed as he allowed his existence to be distinguished. "So, have you only just become aware of my presence within this room, or are you so burdened that you must rest before even addressing me?"

"What have you come here for, Danzo?" Hiruzen settled his eyes on his old colleague as his hand idled toward the little box containing his tobacco. Truth be told, Hiruzen wasn't at all surprised to see Danzo. He knew the man would show himself eventually to assert his own opinion regarding Naruto's situation.

Danzo seated himself away from Hiruzen and he leased a breath. His stern face betrayed him. In truth, he was ecstatic. "That boy... He really is just like his mother. Totally unpredictable."

Hiruzen raised his pipe to his lips, watching Danzo guardedly. He was on high alert against the other man's ploys.

"You find what he did humorous?" Hiruzen inhaled deeply, swiftly releasing a recoil of air. "He murdered a man, Danzo. He killed a man in cold blood."

"And in what fashion did he do it!" Danzo's lone eye glistened. "A decapitation facilitated by a giant _shuriken_, performed so gruesomely that the boy's hands were scarred in the process." He shook his head, bemusement evident in the shaking of his shoulders. "Indeed, the loss of the traitor may have cost us some trivial information, but at least we know the boy hasn't been made completely incompetent by your methods." He took proper notice of Hiruzen's grimace.

Hiruzen's pensive gaze remained on his colleague for only a small expanse of time. His eyes closed in an obvious display of exasperation. "State your business or leave."

Danzo's frame widened, stiffened as he imposed an air of urgency upon his colleague. "I want to enroll the boy into an advanced training regime. Although he displayed a remarkable level of strength last night, he is still lacking. As of now, he is a blunted sword swinging ferociously upon his target, expending copious amounts of undue energy for little gain. I intend to hone him into a weapon capable of striking down dozens of enemies with only the subtlest of movements." They locked eyes. "You won't be able to accomplish the same on your own, dear friend."

Hiruzen harrumphed. He drooped in his seat, a weight not at all foreign to him bearing down on him. Danzo's requests were never very diverse in their natures.

"You want to ruin him... To remake him." Hiruzen gnawed on the shaft of his pipe, already decorated with various nicks in its fine wood work. "I won't allow it. Uzumaki Naruto is at a very delicate stage in his life. Handing him over to you will ensure his loss of sanity."

"You coddle that boy too much, Hiruzen." Contempt was latent on Danzo's tongue. "If you continue to do so, all he will ever amount to is a mass of wasted potential. He must be pushed. He must be prepared to go into combat at any time."

"He will be. But not now. Not at the cost of his childhood nor his humanity."

As Danzo's sour laughter reached his ears, Hiruzen's face steadily developed a frown. Danzo would never understand that ninja were still human - or meant to be. Danzo allowed all the atrocities he bore witness to affect him, cloud his ideals - the same depravity that Hiruzen, too, had witnessed.

Before Danzo could further progress their argument, Hiruzen raised his hand. "Danzo, I believe you've overstayed your welcome." He motioned toward the door. "Please leave." Hiruzen could taste the bitterness emanating from Danzo. The old warmonger had not been expecting to be shut down so quickly. His gaze lingered on his past comrade in arms a while longer before he ultimately stood from his seat. As much as he wanted to continue driving his argument, Danzo knew when Hiruzen's patience had run its course.

Danzo's silent departure stopped short. He ceased movement just as he reached the office door. Hiruzen kept his head down as the other spoke. "You know that I'm right. I can see how your resolve waivers." The door opened. "Soon, you will come around."

Hiruzen slumped in his chair. His eyes could not remain open, too weary to do so after his conversation with Danzo. The image of the young boy appeared in his head. His blond hair and blue eyes, the overbearing smile that rarely left his face... Those were no more. Naruto's face rippled. It changed into something much more different. His sunny locks darkened to an extreme shade of black, his left eye a pool of shadow, heavily contrasting his still bright right eye. Blood covered his face, a sinister smile had stolen the place of his ridiculous grin.

Hiruzen expelled these inappropriate thoughts from his head. He had just seen Naruto today, and, despite his new appearance, the boy hadn't changed much. All he could do was speculate about the boy's odd behavior and outward changes being the result of the demon's influence. He had no reason to figure otherwise considering that there was no established precedent for the behavior of the fox's host; neither of the previous hosts had tapped into the fox's chakra. Still, just that assumption put both himself and Naruto in a bad place.

To quell his growing anxiety, Hiruzen massaged a temple. He could only hope that Kakashi would be capable of providing sufficient support to his new charge. Not only had he skirted his guardianship duties for the boy long enough, but he was also one of the only currently enlisted ninja capable of repressing a jinchuuriki.

"And his teammates..." A final sigh escaped the depressed village leader's mouth. "I do hope things go as planned with them all."

* * *

Sasuke fumed in his seat. His hands tightened about each other. The last dredges of his patience began to vacate his vessel. He peered over toward the clock in the classroom populated only by himself and the pinkhead leech Haruno Sakura. Approximately two hours and forty-five minutes have elapsed since all other teams had vacated the classroom. The stand-in instructor - neither Iruka nor Mizuki came into class - had wasted no time gathering her things and leaving the premise. She had even allowed the two new ninja a pitiful glance before she disappeared behind the door leading out to the hall.

_'And I thought having that blond imbecile on my team would be the biggest disappointment...'_ Sasuke did not know much about Hatake Kakashi besides what he had discerned from his father's scornful remarks of the man - that he was a prodigy unlike any other, that he had been supplied with the means to fully utilize his genius from the very day he was born onward, and that he was a thief. To this day, Sasuke remained ignorant of exactly what Kakashi had stolen in his youth, but he could hardly care about the man's past grievances with his father. Kakashi possessed skills far above most other jonin within the village, and that's all that mattered... Until his chronic tardiness was brought into question. It sullied his name a great bit, so it took a tremendous effort to actually take him seriously.

"Um, Sasuke-kun," Sakura's voice broached the wall of silence that had steadily been building up within the classroom. What was this? Her fourth attempt to begin a conversation with brooding prodigy? He regarded her with a scowl.

"What?" Sasuke said.

Sakura shrunk back a bit from his pointed stare. The pink haired girl could only blush with her beloved's gaze upon her. "I was just thinking... We don't really know how much longer we'll be waiting for sensei and Naruto, so..." Her eyes fell. "We should talk and get to know each other more." Sakura may have reconsidered her request had she seen Sasuke's grimace.

By this time, Sasuke had given up giving his new teammate the cold shoulder. He honestly did not know how long they would be waiting for their team to fully assemble, but he did know that Sakura would only continue to pester him for however much longer they had. It only seemed best to acquiesce to her humble demands. He sighed and whipped his hand through the air and let it collapse on the desk he sat behind. "What's to know?"

Sakura froze for a moment. She gnawed on her inner cheek as she racked her brain for the right topic to talk about. Of course, she wanted nothing more than to rail a slew of questions at her crush regarding his interest in girls; she wanted to pick his brain and find out what she could do to make him notice her more. However, she knew enough about Sasuke to know that doing anything like that would only worsen their already crappy standing. She'd have to settle on something revolving around the only real interest he had, being a ninja.

"What kind of ninja do you think you'll be, Sasuke-kun? Your role within the team or just... You know..."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. Clearly, he had not been expecting a question such as that one. He reclined his head and stared at the ceiling for a moment. He shrugged. "I'm not going to restrict myself to fighting in a team. I'm an attacker, and I plan on taking on as many enemies as I can solo." His brows furrowed. "If you want to fight beside me, you better come up with a style that won't obstruct my own." Of course, when Sasuke said "you" he did not mean Sakura specifically. His declaration would be roughly the same for anyone, even his instructor. Sakura just so happened to not be keen enough to pick up on this fact; she figured that this message was meant for her and her alone.

Sakura's face became rosy. "I," she stuttered, "I understand, Sasuke-kun."

"Good." Sasuke turned away from his teammate, the tension that had been building in him now slightly alleviated. He once again regarded Sakura with his gaze. Despite his slight disgust for her usual abrasive attitude and incompetence, Sasuke could not say that Sakura totally repulsed him. He hoped she remained this manageable in the future.

Then came a soft report from the door nearest to the front of the class. A moment later it slid open; in came a bizarre fellow with a lopsided headband. Kakashi reappears, this time before the last of his recruits. "Yo," he said. "You must be my other cute cadets."

Sasuke stood up almost enthused by the entrance of his new instructor. "Took you long enough."

Kakashi shrugged. "I had things to do. Shopping, reading, mani-pedi... Ninja stuff."

Sasuke grimaced as he eyeballed the man leaning through the doorway. The man blinked at him in an owlish manner. Sasuke sighed. "Sure."

* * *

**A/N: See? Very abrupt. ****Continue onto the next chapter for my unfinished Bleach/Naruto mash-up!**


	2. Bleach My Blondie

**A/N: Honestly, there wasn't much inspiration for this one. I just began writing this because I was bored as all hell. Anyway, I began this story in either 2011 or 2012, and it stars Naruto as a despondent yet wacky Shinigami who also happens to be a true hybrid Shinigami-Hollow. ****This all dates back to his conception, hundreds and hundreds of years ago when Unohana Retsu was still Kenpachi. ****While doing her thing, patrolling the badlands that was the Soul Society then and slicing random dudes up, she encounters Arturo Plateado, so she proceeds to slice that fucker up too! But in the end, part of him survives by leeching onto Unohana and beginning a parasitic relationship with her, which culminates in the birth of the even odder child Naruto.**

**Unohana and Naruto's relationship is all kinds of fucked up as she habitually attempts to slice his head off as he grows up (in a loving manner), leading to him being a very fucked up bi-polar person who is constantly seeking love in all the wrong places. I planned for him to get a harem, but I wanted it to be realistic, so he keeps his various partners in the dark about each other, and as all things bad do, it blows up in his face. But his love life is a sappy side-story! So one chick is dumb enough to end up with him in the end anyway (probably Rukia, because I planned on them initially despising each other, and that's a very interesting dynamic).**

**Anyway, Naruto's abilities are odd for sure. He's capable of performing Cero whenever due to his Hollow nature, and his Zanpakuto essentially makes him a void master. ****He's not very involved in the plot of Bleach due to him being somewhat overpowered compared to most other characters, but he does affect the plot at some pivotal moments.**

**Anyway, if you like what you see and you're a decent writer, ask about taking over the production of this fantastic tale!**

* * *

It was midday by the time Naruto made it to the captain-commander. He arrived in full shinigami apparel, sword jolting at his hip as he walked across the pristine floor. He stopped at an appropriate distance and gave his salutations to the captain-commander. He lifted his head. Yamamoto sat high above him, staff clasped between two liver-spotted hands. His presence was an imposing one; a swing of one of his hands carried much greater weight than the shouts and gabbles of the affluent families who appealed to him.

"I'm glad to see that you've responded to my summons. It's been quite some time since I've last had the pleasure of speaking with you, my boy."

"Please," Naruto said, "the pleasure is all mine, _so-taicho_." He rocked back on one leg. "What exactly did you wish to speak with me about today?"

The old man withheld his voice for a good while. "You're very respectful. You're a very humble young man. These are qualities that you have no doubt acquired from your mother."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, very much so." Yamamoto's head reclined. His tone was somber. "She has always been such a gracious woman, and she also knows when it is time to adorn a serious persona. Not many people - the other captains and the nobles included - could be so adaptable. An all-around amazing woman..."

"Yes," Naruto said. His eyes lingered on the floor, roamed the endless expanse of tile. His finger rapped against the floor. He didn't need to hear this - nothing this trivial. "So I've heard." He sighed. He was sure that the captain-commander would detect his unease. To his credit, Yamamoto did notice the young man's exasperation. He changed the topic of their conversation.

"Look at me, going on and on about something you've no doubt heard everyday of your life. I suppose that you're ready to know what I've called you here for?"

A nod. A mumble, "Yes."

"Yes," Yamamoto repeated. A brief silence sat within the room.

"A shinigami of the thirteenth division was dispatched to Earth nearly a month ago. She was sent to Karakura town, located in Japan. We have not heard from her since then." Yamamoto paused. He took a brief respite to place his subordinate. Naruto remained kneeling on the ground, his head inclined. He was listening.

"You're assignment is fairly simple. You are to locate this shinigami and report back to me within the month. Also, there has been a large surge of hollow activity within Karakura, please feel free to partake in the purification of hollows while you are there."

Naruto rocked back on his haunches, then forward. He performed the motion twice more. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "Yes, _so-taicho_. I understand."

"Good," he said. "Good. Do you have any questions, my boy?"

"Yes, I do have one. Who is the shinigami that I'm looking for?"

"Kuchiki Rukia, younger sister of Kuchiki Byakuya." Yamamoto took his time speaking. He breathed in and then out. "Byakuya and his lieutenant were originally posted to this assignment, but I felt that someone with less sentimental attachment would fair better. Anything may have happened to her."

Kuchiki Byakuya was the captain of the sixth division, the noble families' tie into Yamamoto's forces. His speed and swordsmanship far surpassed many elite shinigami, but his personality left much to be desired. His lieutenant, Abarai Renji, was a success story; he grew up as an orphaned child in the bowels of Rukongai. His was not an unusual tale, but his placement within the sixth division had made it all the more fascinating. A stoic nobleman and a brash brawler. Naruto had never actually spoken to either man, but he did have the displeasure of holding a very much heated discussion with the former's younger sister.

Naruto rocked on his haunches once again. "Are you sure that I am the best candidate for this assignment?"

"Yes, I believe so. I know that you and Rukia have had your differences in the past, but your deployment to Karakura is crucial. You will act accordingly, I am sure, and, as I said before, there has been a surge of hollow activity in the area." Naruto frowned in frustration. He should have been expecting such an elegant answer. "What I have yet to tell you is that a rogue shinigami was detected during the appearance of a Menos class hollow. The monitors of the twelfth division have identified one Urahara Kisuke within Karakura."

The rocking commenced again.

Why had he not heard of this? He was a member of the twelfth division, yet he had not heard of anything concerning "one Urahara Kisuke." Akon, the highest ranking researcher within the twelfth other than Kurotsuchi Mayuri himself, was Naruto's oldest friend. He had known Akon since he was a child; they both had worked under Urahara during the primal stages of the R&amp;D department. Yet he had not said a word regarding "one Urahara Kisuke." Mayuri's silence was not nearly as surprising. Though Naruto had known the man since they were partners - Mayuri would never label their involvement as a "partnership"- Mayuri would never reveal such information, unless doing so would benefit him in some way.

"Need I continue, my boy?"

Naruto said, "No." His hand returned to his hair, perfectly preened. "How soon do you need me to leave?"

"As soon as you can."

"Yes," Naruto said. He bowed deeply. "Thank you, _so-taicho_. I'll be gone within the hour." He left Captain-commander Yamamoto's presence with one thing on his mind: find Urahara Kisuke and kill him.

Naruto was prepared to enter the _senkaimon_ within the hour. His return to the twelfth division barracks was very concise; he walked into the division headquarters, told his captain the details of his assignment, and was prepared to leave just that fast. His interaction with Mayuri was stiff and warranted some apprehension on the captain's part. Though, as implied before, Mayuri was not really at fault; he was just the way he was. Akon, however... Well, Akon was nowhere to be found. In the past, whenever Naruto found himself irate with his friend, Akon would normally go about his day as if it were any other, as he was one who could keep his composure while standing on a bed of searing coals. However, there was a time in their long history together that Akon did conceal himself. He had did well to seize even his breath. Akon was well hidden.

The gate to the other world began to open and Naruto said his final goodbyes to Urahara Kisuke. He stepped though the _senkaimon_.

His travel though the _Dongai Precipice World_ was a blur. He moved with a purpose. There was no hesitation in his steps. His deployment from the portal was sudden, and it placed him high above ground level. Trees and houses were beneath his body. Air gushed into his ears as he fell toward the ground. He caught himself on a streetlight, and landed on the ground a second after loosening his grip on the pole. His patrol began immediately.

He would do his best to find and secure Rukia above all else. He had settled on this during his travel through the _Dongai Precipice World_. Going after Urahara now was incredibly foolish; he had no idea where he could be, and there was no guarantee that he would survive their meeting without acquiring some kind of fatal injury. Finding Rukia was definitely a priority. Captain-commander Yamamoto would have his hide if he allowed one of his shinigami to die because of his own convictions.

He rounded a corner and saw a myriad of homes. His hand found its place in his flaxen locks. He would be in Karakura for a while.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo yawned as he hunkered down atop Karakura Town High School. It was lunch break, but he still felt so tired. Ever since Rukia showed up, Ichigo had been out several nights slaying hollows. Hollow extermination was a constant in his life now, and it was downright exhausting. The high amount of hollow activity made him wonder: why hadn't he seen any hollows before Rukia showed up? Perhaps Rukia's appearance within Karakura brought the hollows. Was there a chance that she was the cause of all his troubles? At least, inadvertently? He didn't know.

_Eh, it's something to do at least._

Ichigo took a bite of his lunch. He paid his friends a moderate amount of attention.

Ishida Uryu was also quiet. He sat and ate his lunch, made small talk whenever the need came. His induction into Ichigo's circle had come only a few days prior, but he was already accustomed to the other's actions. He spoke openly with Mizuiro and Chad about many things (classes, movies, current events, and the norm), while he tolerated Keigo's erratic behavior to a certain extent. His interactions with Ichigo were much the same as his with Mizuiro and Chad, except that there was the occasional argument. In just a few days, a bespectacled loner had become a close friend.

Yasutora Sado, known as "Chad" by his friends, was much the same. His gargantuan size belied the placid nature inside. He was the gentle giant. He ate his lunch at a languid pace. He chatted very quietly about anything thrown his way. His comments were genuine, with no hint of ill intent.

The person who was, perhaps, the most socially active was Kojima Mizuiro. He would often mention his older girlfriend, the multitude of phone numbers that he received from older girls, and how much he preferred more mature women. Ichigo was sure the spirit of some thirty year old player had somehow gotten trapped within the body of this underdeveloped fifteen year old boy. There were only two times during the school day that Mizuiro would sit his phone down for more than four minutes at a time - lunch was one of the two. He spoke through his lunch, the savory food made by his girlfriend accumulated on the rooftop.

Keigo was an eccentric young man, an abnormal youth. As he often overreacted, his lunches were usually found overturned on the rooftop. He introduced most of the topics that the group would discuss, all of which dealt with the paranormal or otherworldly. Most, if not all, of his news was preposterous - that's what Ichigo had believed until a few weeks ago. Many of Keigo's bizarre tips had yielded big findings in regards to hollows. But, by God, Keigo was still downright annoying.

They were reliable people, Ichigo admitted - his friends. They were easy-going for the majority of the time, and he was quite thankful for that. His new occupation as a substitute shinigami was overwhelming. And his employer didn't exactly make things any easier.

Speak of the Devil.

"Ichigo, Uryu, I need you to come with me." She appeared beside their little box of solemn contentment, and, with her authoritarian tone, she stomped that box, rattled its contents.

Keigo was the first to reply. He bounded across the rooftop, eyes blinded by optimism. "Uh, hi, Rukia-chan. Is there anything that I can help you with? I'm sure that I'd be much more help than these guys." Keigo was like a dog, the way he sought to please.

Rukia was quick to swat his nose. "Thank you, Keigo, but I really just need Ichigo and Ishida."

"Oh, okay." He stammered.

"What do you need?" Ichigo continued to eat.

"Don't you remember, Kurosaki? We need to finish running those errands for the nurse. You remember - she told us to pick up medical supplies for her." Lies rolled off his tongue just as easily as oxygen poured into his lungs. Getting out of class had become much easier since Uryu had joined their party. The only excuses that Ichigo and Rukia could conjure involved the restroom. They were pounding dirt in about three minutes - Ichigo, Uryu, and Rukia.

Rukia directed the two boys to an outbreak of hollows. Ichigo had left his body to Kon and was sporting his shinigami attire. He followed his partners with barely a restraint on his form; his soul's escape from his body had eliminated nearly all worldly restraints. Gravity was not as oppressive as before, the air resistance did not push as much as before. _Is this how all shinigami feel? _Ichigo wondered. He could always ask Rukia - but not now. The first hollow that Ichigo saw that day was a humongous cow-like creature, whose hole perforated its belly. The beast roared and several more hollows began to gather around the area.

Ichigo was ready. He jumped over the heads of Rukia and Uryu and pulled his massive weapon from its scabbard. He plummeted toward the conglomerate of hollows and raised his sword high. His feet met the ground and the cow-like hollow was felled, cut in two.

Could it be that shinigami were also fearless?

* * *

Naruto wandered aimlessly through Karakura's residential area. He moved through the streets in no real set direction, his head swiveled from left to right and right to left as he searched for Rukia. He could not register her spiritual presence, nor the presence of anything besides hollows. They were all over the place, hollows, and Naruto was completely sure that if he had only come to exterminate them, he would be on his way back to the Seireitei in a few minutes. He ignored the hollows around him, suppressed his energy output so that only the barest amount could spill out. Hollows were always a nuisance, and he just had no time to waste on them.

Naruto zipped around a few more corners before stopping his movements totally. He stood akimbo next to a stop sign, his bottom lip out as he pouted. Some school children passed through him, but he didn't mind._  
_

_Where the hell is this girl? I can't sense her presence at all._ Naruto bounded to the top a of a house for a greater vantage point. He glanced around the area sharply, trying to catch a glimpse of his tiny comrade in arms. _She must dead._ It was not a cheery thought, but it was the most likely outcome.

A screech was heard, and a spike in _reiastsu_ occurred. Naruto's eyes slid along the contours of the town until they rested upon a great convergence of hollows. Staring a little longer, he made out a large sword swinging wildly among them, flashes of light crashing against some.

* * *

**A/N: Also a very abrupt ending! Haha!**


End file.
